Of the 128 players announced Wednesday as nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 13 are in their first year of eligibility.
Two represent the Pittsburgh Steelers and two are Pitt products.
Named for the first time are former Steelers offensive linemen Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro. Representing Pitt in their first year of eligibility are wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and running back LeSean McCoy.
The list of candidates will be pared down by a screening committee to 50 (plus ties) in mid-October.
Pouncey and DeCastro spent their entire careers with the Steelers. Pouncey, a first-round pick in 2010, was selected to the Pro Bowl in all nine seasons in which he was healthy. He missed an entire season and all but one game of another with injuries. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro twice and was named to the second team three times.
DeCastro, the team’s first-round pick in 2012, spent nine seasons with the Steelers. He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his final six seasons with the Steelers, and he was a two-time first-team All-Pro selection. He made the second team one time.
Other former Steelers players returning to the list of nominees are wide receiver Hines Ward, linebackers James Harrison and James Farrior, safety Carnell Lake and kicker Gary Anderson.
The other first-time nominees include quarterbacks Drew Brees, Philip Rivers and Alex Smith; tight ends Greg Olsen and Jason Witten; running back Frank Gore; defensive linemen Geno Atkins and Jurrell Casey; and linebacker Thomas Davis.
After a record-setting career at Pitt, Fitzgerald spent all 17 of his NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He finished second in career receptions with 1,432 and receiving yards with 17,492. He is sixth with 121 receiving touchdowns.
McCoy, a Harrisburg native, was the Philadelphia Eagles’ second-round pick in 2009. He played for the Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 12-year career. He finished with 11,102 rushing yards and 73 touchdowns. He ranks No. 23 on the all-time rushing yardage list.
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